Preview – LWRC Six8-PDW

The Empire Called. It Wants Its PDW Back.Hokey Religions and Ancient Weapons Are No Match for a Good Blaster at Your Side, Kid

Have truer words ever been spoken? Mr. Solo sure knew what he was talking about. Look past the killer custom Cerakote job, and you’ll see LWRC’s take on what a personal defense weapon (PDW) should be. This is the civilian version of the sub-carbine purchased by the Saudis for internal security purposes. And it rocks.

Over the past decades, the submachine gun has fallen out of favor for second line troops, and the PDW’s star is ascendant. The requirement to arm cooks and bottle washers with an adequate firearm that is smaller, lighter, and generally less capable than the standard-issue infantry rifle has led to some interesting developments. FN introduced the P90, which has seen limited international sales. H&K’s interpretation, the MP7, has found favor with troops that fall outside of its original intended audience. For example, SEAL teams have been employing it in raids on Al-Qaeda franchises in sub-Saharan Africa, due to its reliability, compact size, and controllable nature. And yes, I did just say “MP7.” Get over it.

Both firearms utilize a scaled-down cartridge, relying on extended magazines and full-auto capabilities to put enough lead on target. LWRC took a different approach. In conjunction with ATK Federal, who optimized the 6.8 SPC round for use in short barrels, the Maryland company came out with the Six8 IC-PDW, which offers rifle-level ballistics from a very compact package.

Saudi Arabia sits at the crossroads of an extremely volatile neighborhood. While its politics may be decidedly antiquated by Western standards, it remains a key ally in the region, the loss of which would be disastrous for U.S. foreign policy. Following numerous attacks by domestic and foreign terrorist groups, the Saudis decided to get serious about their internal security forces (and drag them kicking and screaming out of their traditional, largely ceremonial role), putting them to serious work. Let’s face it, when your issued weapon is a gold-plated MP5K, there’s going to be chuckling whenever you walk into the room.